The Great and Terrible Oz
by ForeverInYourFavor
Summary: After the great reign of DG and her beloved, her daughter becomes the great ruler of the land but will her reign last or be cut short by an old family threat? One that could kill the young Queen of Oz. First story, be kind with the crticism :
1. Moons

The moons shone through each cloud every day. The bright sun hadn't been seen in months, nothing had changed. It had all been blown to pieces, years ago. The young girl stared up at the pale sky. It was almost hard to remember what the skies colors had looked like; it had been so long since anyone had seen them. Sadly, that the least of anyone's problems. If it hadn't been for The Great Reform, she would still be where she rightfully belonged. The forest kept her well hidden from the rest of civilization and safe as well.

She saw the Sky Reapers come forth from the kingdom and search the rest of the world for one person. The young girl pulled her hood up over her head a little tighter so she was out of sight by the Reapers. She waited for them to pass before she slipped back into the deep woods for protection. The girl only had a small group of trustworthy people around now. The group she had retained is dwindling down to practically nothing, before it will only be her. She knew where they were all going; they were captured and thrown to the enemies. She was worried about the men who have sworn their loyalty to her, knowing that when they were found out, their lives were at the mercy of the enemy. She had wished to do this alone, but not one of them would back down, even after knowing the risk. The young girl was grateful and horrified but more than anything, she was at peace knowing that she was not alone in this.

It was easy to see the pain written on her face. Even without a mirror to gaze into, the girl could feel the fatigue, the stress, and the anxiety flowing through her body. She was unable to sleep, eating was a challenge, and staying hidden would end eventually. She knew there was only one hiding place where no one would be able to find her, but finding that place has been lost through her childhood. It was unlikely that she would ever find it without the help of her elders, whom were deceased now because of The Great Reform. The girl shook her head, no use in thinking about the past and the lost secrets of her family. She knew there was strength in numbers, but right now they had to be great in knowledge. Always one step ahead of the enemies and two steps ahead of her group. If they ever decided to turn against her, she had to be ready for the worst scenario.

"My Lady," a man's voice said behind her. The young girl turned around to face a much older man, who bowed as she turned to him. She forced a smile onto her face to allow him to continue. "We have paved a way through the forest to escape the treachery. It's time to move, we can wait no longer." The girl nodded and lifted her gown to continue north. She knew they were anything but safe this close to her beloved kingdom. She walked behind her men as they led the way to safety. She could help but turn around to stare at her home. It was gleaming still, even with all of the treachery going on inside the walls of her kingdom. The screams of her people couldn't be heard this far away, but they lived on in her heart and soul and it broke for them every day, knowing there was nothing she could do to help them at this time.

She turned her back on her people, like she had always hoped not to do. But it was not without a promise to be fulfilled. The young girl, at the start of all of this conflict had promised her people that she would return more powerful and great that she would overthrown The Great Reformist, even in their territory. She wouldn't let these people take over her world and everything she has worked to gain. She wouldn't let her family's name be slandered but the enemy. She wouldn't let their deaths be worth nothing during these terrible times. Everything she had worked for was all but destroyed. It wasn't without a promise of return. She knew she had to return. Her kingdom would not last another moons year without her presence. She was almost proud that it had lasted this long.

It pained her to think about everything she had lost. The threats her family had been through to gain the power they had, all seemed for nothing now. But even through all this, the girl wouldn't let a tear fall down her cheek. She had to be strong for the men around her because they were being strong for her. Most of them she had been around her whole life, and they had never seen her fail; until now. This was her failing moment; the moment that she shamed her family. Her mother and father had come to gain their power through a struggle.

It took the refugees another day and night to reach their newest destination. The older men of her group set up the tents while the younger men went out in search of food. This part of the forest didn't look any different than where they had been. The only difference, the crucial difference, was the distance between them and the kingdom. The light was going out of the sky as the moons began to rise. The light of the moon was secure. It kept them in the dark and away from the enemies. They would never think to look this far into the forest. Would they?


	2. Hiding

There was a time when she would look out her window and see the magnificent land before her. There was a time when she could go out before the people of her land and be seen as their equal. There was a time when she didn't wake up and go to sleep with fear in her heart that she may not live to see the next moon. That was very long ago. Now she was an outcast; rebelled from her own city. There were men spread out in the woods to guard her from every angle in case a stranger came looking for her, to kill her. The young girl sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Slowly, she began to open her palm over the fire. She closed her eyes and kept breathing in and out as she concentrated on a small piece of firewood. The girl felt her power flow through her as she lifted the firewood into the air. She opened her eyes and stared at the piece of wood. She moved her hand around a few inches, making sure the firewood followed her hand. None of her men were paying any attention to her. The girl had always practiced her skills in her free time, in the shadows of her men. They all knew of her family's power of course, but very few knew how they worked. But there had been a man that came to the palace very long ago when the girl was very young and had predicted her greatness.

_The man stepped through the double doors of the palace. His steps clicked like a cricket and his robe swished around him like the waves of an ocean. The man stood before the young girl and looked into her eyes, only after he studied her palms. The man had little hair on the top of his head, which the little girl noticed had all been misplaced by the hair dripping from his chin as his beard. He looked from the Queen to the King with his lonely eyes. He gave the little girl a small silver ball._

"_Move it." He commanded in his thick accented voice. The girl looked back at the lonely man with her big, wide eyes. She closed her eyes and squeezed her forehead together but nothing was happening. The little girl knew this by opening her eyes slightly so she could see the silver ball. The old man let out a low chuckle._

"_Concentrate my child. It will not happen unless you believe it to." He told her. She nodded at him and tried again. Her eyes closed deep and she concentrated. The man had explained to her mother and father that she may not be able to fully harness her power on the first few tries, it may take time for her to grasp the power that she held within herself. The silver ball did not budge from the child's hand. The old man nodded. The Queen gave a distraught look but her husband took her hand and gently rubbed his fingers across her hand. The old man took the child's hand and held it close to his chest and shut his eyes, concentrating. He released her hand and smiled at the little girl, turning to her parents for an explanation._

"_The child holds the power the Gale line and the courage of your majesty, Wyatt. You cannot imagine the power she possesses, which will help her in her troubles later in life. There is a war coming in her life that you cannot fight for her, it is her destiny." The Queen glanced at her daughter and a hand flew to her mouth. _

"_A war? My dearest daughter is only a child. Whatever war is coming we can defend ourselves." She defended. The old man shook his head, "But I am afraid you cannot. I cannot say anymore about the matter but it is fate. This great and terrible war cannot be altered or diverted from." The man said stabbing his cane into the cold tile floor of the palace. The man took a handful of powder out of the bag that hung from his belt and thrust it onto the ground and before their very eyes he was gone._

"_Darling, what did he mean by a great and terrible war? What is to become of our daughter?" The Queen asked concerned for her daughter's life. _

"_Perhaps we could protect her from this danger and hide her." The King suggested. The Queen gave an appalled look at her husband. _

"_And shut her away from her life like my mother did to me? No, hiding her in another world is not the answer. I will not send my only daughter away to hide for the rest of her life because a mystic man says there is a war she is to face. We will find another way." The Queen said adamantly. The King grasped her hand tightly and watched as his little girl took hold of her porcelain doll and held her to her chest and brushed out her long, luscious curls. _

Little did the child's parents know was that she had been listening to what they were saying. The little girl took in everything her mother said about the war and began to learn everything her mother could teach her. And that's what took her to this place in time. She fought, she bargained, she planned. She ultimately failed and she knew it too. But her mother had warned her that she would fail at first but to fear not, that her time would come. The girl held out her hand further away from her body and the firewood followed. The girl slowly curled her hand into a fist and locked it. The piece of wood only sparked and gave a small explosion into tiny shards instead of what she had wanted it to do. The girl had hoped that her powers had expanded and the firewood would have exploded altogether into a million smaller pieces of wood. The girl winced away from the small shards and the firewood dropped back onto the fire as the girl curled away. Her men quickly turned around to stare at the small girl to see the danger she was in. once they realized there was no immediate danger, they turned back to their posts.

The girl sighed. Her powers may never come to their full grasp if she couldn't study them and learn from her teachers as she had hoped. She leaned back against a large tree trunk and felt a presence close to her. The girl turned her head and smiled at the boy who sat next to her. Her closest friend, Matthias. The two had grown up together and had played in the palace gardens together. She took his hand and closed her eyes.

"Hold your concentration longer next time. At least it sparked this time." Matthias said encouragingly.

"Mother would have been proud." The girl commented quietly.

"We have been watching the Sky Reapers with fierce concentration and they are moving deeper into the woods to begin their hunt. They have not sounded off their alarms of alert yet so you have not been spotted, but it's only a matter of time."

"If they cannot see us from the sky, then our chances of survival will rise. Perhaps they will give up and try the southern region of the land."

"My Lady," The boy began. The girl stopped him, "Use my name." She commanded. The boy cleared his throat, "Em," The boy said it a bit unsteady since he hadn't used that name since she was first pronounced queen. "I advise you to move your party to a safer location. Once that cannot physically be seen from the sky…"He hinted. The boy seemed nervous to approach her with such the tender subject of leaving her subjects.

"They sent you to me didn't they? The others. They sent you to suggest that we move to the Realm of the Unwanted because they cannot come forward themselves and say it."

"We would be more likely to receive additional weaponry and shelter from your people down there." Matthias whispered to her. The girl stood up and spoke not only to Matthias, but also to the other who she was sure were listening to her now.

"I will not travel underground and hide myself from this terror we call a war. I am still your Queen, despite what has happened to my kingdom. Now, I am not forcing you to stay here with me and fight that was your wish. But I will not stand and watch my people die. If you do not agree, I invite you to leave this wood immediately and never return. You have no favor with me once you leave." The queen commanded. Her men all stared down at their feet and remained at their posts.

"If no other problems occur, we will continue our quest north." She couldn't tell them their destination for if the enemy found out, she would surely be dead. The girl began to walk to the edge of the dark woods with Matthias. He touched her shoulder.

"I did not mean to upset you. I had only hoped that you would prefer to seek safer shelter."

"Matthias, you've grown up with me. When was the last time I backed down to a fight?"

"Not once, Your Grace." She nodded and turned to the sky. There was a rustle in the bushes in front of her. Matthias must've heard it too because he went before her and drew his sword out to protect her. The young Queen readied her hand to prepare for a fight. The trees rustled and they could hear branches snapping under the intruder's feet. The young girl began to think this was the end. She was found out and her men would surely die for her poor judgment in their safety. But, the man who emerged from the deep wood was nothing more than one of her men. But the face we bore told her a different story.

"What have you learned?" The Queen forced at once. The man huffed and puffed before he could get his words out coherently.

"We have been found."


	3. Dark Clouds

Matthias stepped in front of his queen and demanded of the man, "Explain your findings."

The man stuttered and became flustered with his words. Matthias' face began to turn a dark red and the queen saw his hand curl into a fist formation. She grabbed his shoulder and looked at him tenderly.

"Let me handle this. Ready the men. Tell them to prepare for the worst, even if it isn't." Matthias bowed before the queen and ran to her group.

"It is gravely important that you tell me who is coming. I must be prepared. Now, gather your words and talk to me." She said quietly.

The man didn't look at anything but his hands. He played with his fingers and forced them together and apart and together again. "I was out patrolling the northern woods as is my job. I decided to climb up one of the tall Fur Trees to get a broader look at the area I was patrolling. That's when I saw it Your Grace. It looked like a cloud, a dark cloud that was slowly searching through the woods coming this way."

The queen nodded slowly. "How big was this 'cloud'?" She asked nervously.

The man shrugged, "Bigger than anything I've ever seen My Lady." She stood up, thanked him, and turned around. She kenw every action from here on out counted. No mistakes must be made. Every life that was with her at the moment, was in her hands. If a dark cloud was coming her way, she had to stop it. She caught Matthias running back towards her. Everyone watched as she took him into a private chat. His face fell so far, she was worried he would pass out after his face turned a ghostly white. He nodded, running back to alert another man. Discreetly the man ran out of the camp area to inspect the danger.

The queen paced back and forth behind the largest tree in the area, without disturbing the men. Matthias stood next to her, watching.

"This is no time to be alarmed, Your Grace. You have an army of men, who will fight for your, for their kingdom, for their freedom." He reassured. The patrol man came running back to them. They looked at her expectantly.

"It's a big black cloud. The army is bigger than anything we could ever muster up. I'm sorry Your Grace." He bowed before her and ran back to the rest of the men. The queen suddenly, nervous, looked to Matthias for an answer. For years, he had been her go-to boy. Advice, struggles, and her kingdom. He was her right hand man, when she wasn't sure which way was up. He was focused on the sky. She began to bite her nails, a nervous habit since she was a child, as she looked to her men. That's when she saw it; from across the camp; her plan. She took Matthias' arm.

"Matthias they were right." He looked to her for an answer. "I am a moving target. The more I run, the more fun it is to chase me. I cannot take these men down with me as I lead them into trouble. I will not let them die, I would not be a fearless leader, I would be a careless leader. I must coninue without them."

"Your Highness, that isn't neccessary. These men gave up their lives willingly for you. Back home, in the kingdom, there is nothing left for them. Their families are gone or have been arrested. Staying there and worring about it would only lead to a riot and the destruction of the kingdom. Do not feel obligated to free these men."

She shook her head. Matthias was thinking about what was best for the kingdom. The Great Reformist has pushed her out of her beloved kingdoma and the only way she knew to conqure him and get her kingdom back wouldn't be without the help of her families great secret. She knew she had to figure out the secret before he destroyed everything precious to her. She had to do it for her family. She owed them that, at the very least.

"Matthias, I cannot defeat anyone with a hundred hungry, lonesome, men following me around the woods. Will you help me or shall I do this completely alone?" She watched as Matthias took a deep breath. he put his hands on his hips and looked down at his queen with a dismissive look on his face.

"What other choice do I have? There has never been any changing your mind about anything. It would be a waste for me to argue with you." She smiled and gave his a light kiss on his cheek.

"I have a plan, but it's a bit wild." She told her friend. He rolled his eyes for the first time in a long time at her. "I would expect nothing less." He laughed.

"There is also one more detail that I wish I could leave out." She whispered. He nodded encouragingly for her to continue.

"There must be a commotion. I have to escape the men without any of them understanding my train of thought or reasons why I left. I need a fight to occur."

He gave her an unsteady look. "I don't think I am comprehending..."

"Matthias, I need a fight to occur." She stared him in the face. The queen took hold of his hands and tried to make him understanding without saying anything. She did not want to be the one to betray her men.

Matthias only nodded. She knew he was beginning to understand her train of thought. He stood up as formal as a Tin Man. "As you wish My Lady." He walked away towards her men. He knew it was never her intention to sacrifice her men. But in order to save her kingdom and anyone still living in the Oz, she must do the unspoken. She was grateful for Matthias since he was always there to push her along and help her through her hard times. With Matthias handling the chaos of the day, the queen took aside her lady in waiting. When she was a child, she never understood the use for such women since she did most things herself, but during these difficult times, she realized her mother had been right in insisting she have a lady.

The lady curtsied before her queen. The queen took her lady's hands and sat her down in a secluded area of their camp.

"There's not much time but I have devised a plan to free the kingdom. Of course, I need your help to perfect it." The lady took off her long, silk hood to face her queen. They shared the same blonde curls, and the same piercing blue eyes. The queen smirked to herself. It was hard to hide the resemblence.

"Anything for you, ma'am." Her lady replied. She quickly took her hand and led her away into the dense forest.

Matthias stood at the edge of their camp, listening. He could hear the horses, and the Sky Reapers howling their excitment at the view of our camp. Matthias turned to his men, "We are outnumbered, but we must face them for our kingdom. Do it for the pain they caused your family, friends, and yourself. The Great Reformist has ruined what little pride we had left during the Terrible Reform." Matthias reminded them. Each man hooted and howled with excitment and tremors. He could see it on each of their faces, they were shaking inside but on the outside, they would never show it to anyone. He stood in front of the crowd. Anxious, nervous, prepared. His eyes darted around. Not since her revelation had he heard or seen the queen. She had ran off on her own with her lady-in-waiting.

Once they saw the brush rumble, that was the beginning. The men burst out of the trees and attacked the little group of rebels. The reformists each sported an all black wardrobe and yelled exaggeratingly as they charged at the queen's small group of hearty spirited men. They each poured their hearst into the battle. Matthias took on the man on horeback. His horse stomped heavily on Matthias, as he tried to avoid the horses hooves on his body. He slashed the skin on the mans horse. The horse lept wildly into the air and clumsily fell backwards, sending the man in black across the ground into a tree trunk. He picked his head up, grabbed his sword and ran towards Matthias. Matthias jerked his elbow in the mans face, sending him backwards. Their fists flew through the air aiming for each's face. Matthias faked his left and aimed his fist right into the man's shoulder.

The girl in the hood rushed out of the other side of the forest. She pulled her hood tightly over her face so as not to be seen. Her long blonde hair tucked into the sides. She flashed ehr eyes across the scene. Men, swords, and blood was flying everywhere. Somewhere in the mix of it all, she had left Matthias without her. She knew what a danger he was without her. She forced ehr eyes to search faster until she caught sight of him. There was no way to get his attention without attracting any to herself. The girl stood behind the tree and opened her palm before her face. She held it at her mouth's height and blew his name into the wind toward him. She watched as the quiet wind hit the sides of his face where his ears were. He whipped his head around while the man in black was down on his back. The only sight of her he caught was her cape, flooding behind the trees. Before the man on the ground could get a good look at where he was going, he ran away. It wasn't like him to run from a fight but, it was her he needed to protect.

Once he reached the trees, a slim hand grabbed his wrists and began to run. He couldn't see her face, though he was sure it was her. She took him through remote parts of the woods, trying to escape the terror of the woods. They were no longer safe there and she was quite aware of it. They both knew they had to save her world. Once the woods ended and the grasslands began did she slow up. The girl didn't turn around, she only kept walking. Very slowly away from Matthias.

"I didn't want it to end this way. I didn't want to leave anyone behind. Does this make me an unfit ruler? Am I to be banished." She said quietly. Matthias wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or to the winds of her family. He caught up to her and sighed.

"Everyone knows you tried your best. You're still young, and still learning. Some things come from experience, some must be taught by a man who already knows how. You are not to be blamed." She turned around and he finally got a good look at her. The plain colored dress, and the sheer silk cape. His eyesbrows frowned.

"I don't understand...?" He asked the girl. To any untrained eye, she would look like a surviver of the terrible Oz take over, unless you knew better.

"I had to escape unseen. Disguising myself was the easier way to leave undetected. My lady will buy us some time to escape to an unseen world."

"You don't mean..." She nodded solemnly. She would never have wanted to admit it befor,e but her men had been right, They don't need a dead ruler, they need a safe ruler. They need someone who will rise up again and defeat The Great Reformist as a powerful force.

"I cannot do this alone. I need help, and i must find it. You can help or you can hide, take your pick. but make it quick, I am not sure when they will discover that I am not who i left behind."

He took her hand, "Of course I am here with you. I will do as you wish, Your Grace." She pulled her hand away adamantly. The girl stared up at Matthias.

"Your Grace no longer exists. If we are going to do this right, the queen must be gone. I cannot have any snitches in the lands we will travel to discover the truth by some language mishap and report it to the closest reformer. You've got to promise me that that woman no longer exists to you."

"I promise Your...Em. We will resort to your given name, Em. No one has seen the queen of the Oz since that terrible day in the woods." Matthias answered hesitantly. Em nodded at him. She had to do this for her kingdom. It may be just a bit selfish but she had a vision of an end result in her mind that she hoped to bring about.

She took his face in her hands and pushed their heads together. Em closed her eyes and took in their precious moment together. This danger would follow her where ever she went. It may be one of the last momenst she gets alone with her oldest friend until they meet again in the Great Beyond. She felt the great winds blowing them farther away from the woods. She turned her head towards the woods. They were growing darker, being pulled into the reformists grasp. Em stood up and took hold of Matthias.

"It's time to leave." And they were gone.


	4. Unwanted Attention

It was after dusk by the time the pair reached the Realm of the Unwanted. They climbed the doomed ladder down into an unfamiliar world. Em kept her hood down on her face as she past the unwanted Oz refugees. As she expected, Matthias kept one hand on her shoulder, leading her away from the large crowds. People pushed and shoved past her as rudely as humanly possible. Em tried to be kind about it and use the manners her parents taught her as a young child but after a while, it seemed damn near impossible. She couldn't force herself to push past any of these people, against Matthias harsh whispers in her ear to do so. She was too frightened to slap him for his unusual comments. There were many unfamiliar faces to Em, but she saw one she recognized. The girl stopped dead in the center of walking. Behind her, Matthias tried to push her forward. Screeches of unhappy walkers came about behind the two. Matthias had no choice but to shove Em off the street and into one of the nearby alleyways. She was too busy staring at the man to notice anything.

"Did you see him?" She asked in a daze, still staring across the street. The man was gone.

"What were you thinking stopping? The last thing we want is unwanted attention streaming our way because of a stupid mistake like that." Matthias hissed. Em wasn't listening. He waved his hand around her face. "Em! You are not..." He looked around and spoke in a whisper, "You are not queen down here. You are nothing. You mean as much as any other slim ball down here. Are you listening?"

"Did you see him? He was there, across the street. I saw him." she repeated. Matthias took a step back. Em's head hadn't turned around. Her eyes were glued to the one spot on the sidewalk, across the filthy street. She was looking at an empty walkway, almost as if she had seen a ghost. But he had been as real as anyone else down here. It couldn't have been him though; but she had recognized him as if it was yesterday the last time she saw him.

"He was there." She whispered.

"See who Em? You're not going to know anybody down here. These are people your mother and father banished." Matthias told her. He was holding her arm so tightly that when she finally did turn around and lift him off of her, rubbing her sore arm. She looked up at him and back at the street again.

"Nobody, never mind. Where are we going?" Em asked. She tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. Her hood flew around, the wind catching in the pockets around her head. Her dress was tattered and torn at the bottom. The girl didn't look like any kind of royalty; she looked like she belonged in this realm.

"First we need to find you different clothes. These aren't exactly the kind of clothes that people wear down here. Come on." He pulled her out of the alleyway and back into the crowd of people. They power walked through the sea until a reasonable clothing store was spotted. All the while, Em was concentrated on looking for the boy she saw. She couldn't get his face out of her mind; he had been there and he saw her too. But no one looked familiar. If she really had seen him, he must've gone the other way. She let Matthias lead the way to their next destination. Once they stopped, she noted the name of the store front; _Under__The__O.Z._

It didn't take Em long to find a suitable outfit. She settled for a pair of tall boots, dark leggings, a short skirt, and a long sleeved black shirt. Once Em looked in the mirror, she saw someone she hadn't seen in a long time. The only difference was the dark glow of her eyes. While they usually had a lavender glow to them like her mother, today they looked like something was missing. She tried to smile, but it looked forced and painful. The only part she recognized about herself was her Cain hair. Her natural long, blonde curls framed her face just as they always have. Em walked out of the small dressing room to meet Matthias. He was waiting by the window, staring out of it. Even from in here it was dark outside. When would Em see her moons again?

Matthias heard her cough and turned to face Em. His mouth hung slightly agape as he looked at the new Em. She held her arms out almost as if in defeat. Matthias took a step towards Em and held her hand. He dipped his head close to her ear and whispered, "You look unwanted." She couldn't understand why that sent a chill through her body. It sent an automatic genuine smile to her mouth. He paid the woman working at the counter as they left the building. Matthias, though he claimed he'd never been down to the realm before, dragged her around confidently. She stumbled at times to catch up but he never let go of her hand. He had made a promise to protect her through her reign and he was making good on his claim.

Once the dim sun set, the two of them were practically alone on the streets. Em pulled her hood closer to her body to keep the wind from touching her skin. She held onto Matthias' hand tightly. The streets were quiet and only the sound of low cackles and cat scratches could be heard in the shadows. Matthias stopped, forcing Em to stop as well.

"Something's wrong. We need to get off the streets." He said in a low voice. A hunched figure approached the pair. Matthias pushed Em behind him so she was protected, even though he knew she could protect herself. She'd done it plenty of times and he'd seen her do it. The figure raced around Matthias and grabbed hold of Em. She let out a gasp.

In a raspy voice the figure said, "Watch out or they'll get you! Run, hide, get away from the shadows darling." Once she finished, she let out a cackle. It gave Em a bad feeling about everything. Matthias held his hand on his sword snatching Em away from the old woman.

"Maybe we should find somewhere to stay for the night. I don't like this."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Come on." He grabbed hold of her hand and they quickly tried to get out of the street. The last thing they wanted was for something desperate to happen or to give Em a reason to use her powers. She glanced around some more trying to pick out the uneasy feeling she felt in her stomach. Then she saw him again. He was standing in front of a crowded bar. She stopped dead. Em stared at the man standing at the window. Matthias quickly turned to see what she was looking at, but more importantly was glancing around frequently for trouble.

"What-" She tried to walk towards him but Matthias had a firm grip on her hand.

"Where are you going?" He asked, "We can't stay here."

"No wait. Do you see him?" She asked looking Matthias in his eyes. She whipped her head around to point out the boy but he had disappeared once again. Em let go of Matthias and began walking towards the bar, in search of the boy. "He was here I swear!" She yelled. Matthias screamed her name. Em's heart was pounding. She recognized him and she knew it was him. She wanted to badly to see him up close and touch him. How long had it been?

"See who? Em, don't do this again. I'm not playing this game with you." Matthias said running towards her again. She wouldn't look at Matthias. She had to find him and make him stay close to her.

"Looking for me?" A man standing in the doorway of the bar said. Em spun around, a hint of a smile on her face, only to realize it wasn't him. It was just an after hours drunk looking for a late night snack. Em smiled politely at him and began to walk away.

"Hey baby, don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" He yelled. Matthias rushed towards Em, screaming her name to turn around. Once she did, the man had his hand around her arm.

"Let go of me." She sneered. Em struggled to get loose from his grip when her left hand touched his face. She reached her hand up to push him away but by doing so, the palm of her hand lit up with a bright white light when it came in contact with his face. The man screamed as he let go of her arm to clutch his face. Em couldn't see the scar but she heard the sizzle of his skin. She had burned him but she didn't have time to examine her work since she began running in the opposite direction with Matthias close behind.

"In here!" He pulled her into a dark building out of the streets. Matthias stood in front of her to protect her from being seen. Neither of them were sure if he had followed them but they didn't breathe. He braced his arms on both sides of her body, holding his face close to hers. She turned her head to stare at his, as he lifted his to face her head. They didn't speak for a while.

"Is he gone?" Em whispered. Matthias nodded, "I think so." Matthias let Em have her personal space back and as soon as she did, she looked at her hand. It looked just as it always had.

"What was that?" She whispered. Matthias shook his head and shrugged.

"You must've panicked and hacked into powers you didn't know you had. I've heard of it being down before."

"By who? Out of all the stories I've ever been told I've only heard of it being done once by…" She realized who she was talking about.

"Dorothea." The said in unison. Matthias nodded.


	5. Night Bumps

Matthias found them a quiet and secluded room to stay in for the night. Em knew that no one would want to give two outsiders a room much less a meal but she wasn't about to ask what he had to do to get them a room. Even with inconspicuous clothing, she knew they stuck out like sore thumbs.

Em sat on her bed, staring at her palms. They were normal looking now. The fire red glow of her skin and the flame indent that had been on her palm had now gone back to her usual soft, pale tone. Her head rested in the crook of her arm as she studied her hands. It was unreal; she could tap into the power Dorothea had. Matthias had gone out to get them some sort of food. From all the stories her father had told her about the Realm of the Unwanted, she was sure the food wasn't going to be the palace food she was used to. But in the last year, she hadn't exactly eaten as wealthy as she had in years past. She had one small window to look out of. The view was dirty and plain. Across the street was an ordinary brick wall and sewer cats roaming the streets for rats to pick off of. They were mangy and sickly looking with patches of fur missing. She made a face and turned back to her room. Her bed squeaked and had a wooden frame that had begun to rot away from termite damage. She kept her clothes and decided that it was better to not lie underneath the sheets on the bed, just in case it was as bad as the headboard of the bed.

Em looked at the small clock on the door; Matthias had been gone for almost two hours. She should've been worried about him but for some reason it seemed logical to assume that he knew his way around down here. He didn't look frightened at all. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Sleep had come easily to her despite the creaks the floor made, the sound of shattering glass, and low cackles coming from all around her. There was no room in her mind to dream. The only thing Em could think about, even unconsciously, was her kingdom. She couldn't help feeling like she had let hundreds of people down.

The ones who had escaped went into hiding. They were tiny bands of people forced to spread around the surrounding areas and cities because of her. If they were caught by The Great Reformist or his army, they were killed right in front of her palace to show her what rebellion and fleeing would do. Em had tried to hide the people herself and get as many out of the city before he locked the city walls so one went in or out ever again. He wanted total control. Em, by a miracle of her guards, had escaped through the hidden tunnels underneath the floors of the palace. She had taken a few men that took refuge in the palace. Most of those men had already lost a child and his wife to The Great Reformist. She took them with her because there was nothing left for them here. That's when they ran.

Her head shot up. She had felt a cool breeze blow by her face. Em looked around her room; it was as dark and empty as the last time she saw it.

"Matthias? Is that you?" She asked. Nothing stirred. Em stood up and walked to the door. She pressed her ear against it since he told her not to open it for anything. If anything went wrong, she was to crawl out of the window and he would find her. But on the other side of the door, it was just as quiet as before. She turned back around and looked at the window. It was locked tight and hadn't moved. But next to the window pane was a thin piece of paper. Her heart skipped; that hadn't been there before. The girl spun in circles. Someone was in her room. They had gotten in through either the creaky door or the locked window without her knowledge. But who? Em didn't have the slightest idea. She held the note in her hand too frightened to open it and read the print. She stared out the window for an answer. It was empty now, not even a cat in sight.

After pacing the room in the silence, she grew irritated. Sitting around while Matthias was out doing who knows what bothered her. Em had sat around for months in her palace while The Great Reformist took over her city. She put her best men in charge instead of doing it herself, but even they weren't good enough. Now everything was ruined. She looked around for something sharp to carry with her. Afraid to turn a light on, she moved around in the light of the candle that still burned next to the bed Matthias would sleep in if he ever got home. Em felt a small pocket knife underneath the bed frame that must've been left by the last resident. She quickly stuffed it inside her boot and climbed out the window, the note jammed in her pocket for later. She landed on the brick street closing the window behind her. Em wasn't sure what she expected to find, but she needed answers. More then anything, she wanted her kingdom back; she wanted to free her people. And that wouldn't happen with her sitting around here hiding out for the rest of her life. The Great Reformist was taking over all of the O.Z without her even fighting back. She needed a rebellion. And she knew just where to get one.

Em walked tentatively into the bar they had passed on their way to the motel. It was still full of stragglers, even at this late hour. She walked past the old man waiting for the love of his drunken life, the young man waiting for the next banished naïve girl of his dreams, and the savage girl to drunk to even see a difference between right and wrong. She sat at the bar and ordered nothing, said nothing. Once the tall, handsome bartender walked over and said, "Can I get you anything," did she speak.

"I need a group of able bodies to start a rebellion." She made sure to cover her face with her dark hat so he couldn't recognize her. Her identity must be kept a secret, Matthias was right. The bartender stared at her for a moment seemingly trying to decide if she was drunk or serious. He finally pulled her into the corner, pinching her arm.

"You must be crazy lady. No one goes around just startin' rebellions here. This is the wasteland for those of us who didn't fit in their Queen DG or Queen Em's world. We just tryin' to survive down here the best we can. No one wants that kind of trouble." Em flinched at the mention of her name. Then it dawned; some of these may be faces that she herself banished out of her kingdom. It is unlikely that they will help her. Unless she offers a reward.

"Not down here. Up there." Em points. His eyes widen.

"I doubt anyone wants to mess with that. There's a lot of crazy goin' on up there from what I hear." He has a thick Southern O.Z accent that strikes her as peculiar.

"Look, The Great Reformist is taking over the entire land. Torturing the innocent, enslaving the young, and beheading the royalty," She had to close her eyes to gain composure, "I want to stop it. It's unjust and unfair-"

"How is that any different from our lives? Unjust, unfair, it's all the same. Ain't nobody goin' fight just because some lil' girl thinks the world bein' unfair to her."

"Look I can guarantee their safety. Anyone who enlists to help me put an end to The Great Reformist is guaranteed a safe, life up there so long as they don't slip back into the cruel ways that got them stranded down here."

He shakes his head, laughing at her. "Honey, most of us are down here because of the cruel world up there. Ask a stranger their story, they'll tell you the truth if you can handle it." Em was ready to leave. This man was going to be no help to her in building an army. "But fine, that is an enticing punch line. I'll look around for some bodies. Until I find some, say nothin' bout' this rebellion plan of yours. Don't need you to go missin' before the fun starts now. What do I call you when I find some bodies?" He asks in his husk southern accent.

Em opens her mouth to respond, but halts. She can't say Em because he knows the queen's name and he's bound to put two and two together and figure out who she is. Even without her name being said, her face is as recognizable as any and she will already be getting herself in trouble when the rebels show up to help her out. But a fake name?

"Tae. Call me Tae." She answered. The man gave her a funny look and she hoped that her name wouldn't give away it was fake. Girls were never given that name. But instead he just nodded.

"Do not come here anymore." He said quietly before leaving her alone to rush out. Leaving the bar, Em felt accomplished. She was starting something. She felt for the first time in ages that she could beat The Great Reformist. Once she had crawled safely back into the tiny window her room, and shut the door, a voice from behind spoke up.

"Do you ever listen to directions?"

Em whipped out her knife, not recognizing the voice in her hast. She faced total darkness, but the reality of the voice sank in.

"Do you ever give authoritative directions?" She smirked. Matthias was not as playful. He had a look of scolding on his face meaning he was going to rip her a new one for disobeying her.

She held up her hand. "Before you begin your fatherly monologue, I may have found us an army."


End file.
